Learn how to fix the “diskfilter writes are not supported” error on Ubuntu. Our Server Management Support team is here to help you with your questions and concerns.

Fix the “diskfilter writes are not supported” Ubuntu Error

If you have been having trouble with the following error message, our experts have your back!

diskfilter writes are not supported

According to our Experts, this error is due to a problem related to the disk filtering mechanism in the bootloader or disk management utilities.

In fact, this error occurs during the boot process and is associated with systems using Logical Volume Management or RAID configurations. The error lets us know that the bootloader or disk management tool is unable to write to a specific disk or partition due to the disk filter configuration.

Common Causes and Solutions

Let’s take a look at some of the common causes behind the error.

Read-Only Filesystem

The filesystem may be mounted as read-only, preventing write operations.

Fix: So, remount the filesystem with read-write permissions.

sudo mount -o remount,rw /dev/sdX1

Bootloader Configuration

The bootloader configuration might be incorrect or outdated, especially if the system configuration has changed.

Fix: Hence, update the bootloader configuration.

sudo update-grub

Incompatible Disk Filter

The disk filter used by the bootloader or disk management tool is incompatible with the current disk setup, especially with advanced configurations like RAID or LVM.

Fix: So, make sure that the bootloader and disk management tools can handle the disk setup with the correct configuration.

Corrupted Filesystem or Metadata

The filesystem or disk metadata may be corrupt, preventing proper write operations.

Fix: So, check and repair the filesystem.

sudo fsck /dev/sdX1

Driver Issues

There may be issues with the disk drivers or kernel modules, preventing proper interaction with the disks.

Fix: So, make sure all drivers and kernel modules are up-to-date.

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Troubleshooting Tips

Here are a few ways to troubleshoot the error in Ubuntu:

1. Separate Boot Partition:

   The best solution is to have a separate partition for the bootloader (usually around 500 MB – 1 GB). It should be formatted with a filesystem supported by GRUB, such as ext2 or ext3.

   Remember to choose to create a separate boot partition during installation.

   However, if the system is already installed, back up data, re-partition storage to create a separate boot partition, and then reinstall Ubuntu.
2. Disable Save_Env

   This is a temporary workaround and not ideal for long-term use. The `save_env` command within GRUB stores environment variables across boots. We can disable it to prevent the error, but we will lose some functionality like automatic resume from suspend.

   1. First, edit the GRUB configuration file:

      sudo nano /etc/grub.d/40_custom>
   2. Then, find the line containing `save_env` and comment it out with a `#` symbol.
   3. Next. save the changes and update GRUB:

      sudo update-grub2

With the above steps, we can easily troubleshoot and fix the Ubuntu error.

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Conclusion

In brief, our Support Experts demonstrated how to fix the “diskfilter writes are not supported” error on Ubuntu.